CA1136851A - Piling rake - Google Patents
Piling rakeInfo
- Publication number
- CA1136851A CA1136851A CA000361482A CA361482A CA1136851A CA 1136851 A CA1136851 A CA 1136851A CA 000361482 A CA000361482 A CA 000361482A CA 361482 A CA361482 A CA 361482A CA 1136851 A CA1136851 A CA 1136851A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- teeth
- piston
- rake
- fluid
- blade
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
Classifications
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E02—HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING; FOUNDATIONS; SOIL SHIFTING
- E02F—DREDGING; SOIL-SHIFTING
- E02F3/00—Dredgers; Soil-shifting machines
- E02F3/04—Dredgers; Soil-shifting machines mechanically-driven
- E02F3/76—Graders, bulldozers, or the like with scraper plates or ploughshare-like elements; Levelling scarifying devices
- E02F3/80—Component parts
- E02F3/815—Blades; Levelling or scarifying tools
- E02F3/8155—Blades; Levelling or scarifying tools provided with movable parts, e.g. cutting discs, vibrating teeth or the like
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Mining & Mineral Resources (AREA)
- Civil Engineering (AREA)
- General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Structural Engineering (AREA)
- Soil Working Implements (AREA)
Abstract
Cazes 5 PILING RAKE
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
A rake for use with tractors has a blade con-nectable to a tractor and a plurality of teeth extending from the bottom of the blade. The teeth are pivotally connected to permit movement of the teeth away from objects encountered when the tractor moves. Fluid piston and cylinder combinations interconnect the teeth with the blade so movement of the teeth displaces pressurized fluid within the piston and cylinder com-binations. The pressurized fluid reverses the pivotal movement when the teeth clear the objects.
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
A rake for use with tractors has a blade con-nectable to a tractor and a plurality of teeth extending from the bottom of the blade. The teeth are pivotally connected to permit movement of the teeth away from objects encountered when the tractor moves. Fluid piston and cylinder combinations interconnect the teeth with the blade so movement of the teeth displaces pressurized fluid within the piston and cylinder com-binations. The pressurized fluid reverses the pivotal movement when the teeth clear the objects.
Description
113t~8~
~1-BACKGROUND OF THE IN~7ENTION
This invention relates to a Piling rake with pivotally mounted teeth which pivot away ~rom objects that provide a certain degree of resistànce and which has a hydraulic system for returning the teeth to the original position when each tooth clears the objects.
In logging operations, it is frequently neces-lQ sary to clear sites of loggin~ slash, brush and otherdebris prior to reclamation of the land for reforesta-tion purposes. In the past, bulldozers or skidders with conventional blades have been used to push the slash, lower portions of the blades being fitted with fixed rigid teeth spaced between three and four feet apart on the blade. The blade must be raised so the teeth will clear rocks and stumps and the teeth are prone to breaking when they strike such objects.
To try to overcome these problems, attempts have been made to provide spring-loaded teeth which are pivotally mounted so they will gave way when stones, stumps or other such objects are encountered.
The hope was that the teeth would deflect when a heavy or stationary object is encountered and then spring back to the normal position after the object is cleared. ~he general principle is somewhat sim-ilar to the ridg~ leveler blade shown in United States Patent #1,744,801 to Rimple which is so con-structed that it gives ~hen a rigid obstruction isencountered. Similarly, United States Patent #1,511,292 to McLeod discloses a stone rake with yieldable spring biased teeth. United States Patent #1,929,799 to Weeks and United States Patent #1,876,867 to Dean also disclose scrapers with yieldable blades.
1 ~ 3~i8Sl
~1-BACKGROUND OF THE IN~7ENTION
This invention relates to a Piling rake with pivotally mounted teeth which pivot away ~rom objects that provide a certain degree of resistànce and which has a hydraulic system for returning the teeth to the original position when each tooth clears the objects.
In logging operations, it is frequently neces-lQ sary to clear sites of loggin~ slash, brush and otherdebris prior to reclamation of the land for reforesta-tion purposes. In the past, bulldozers or skidders with conventional blades have been used to push the slash, lower portions of the blades being fitted with fixed rigid teeth spaced between three and four feet apart on the blade. The blade must be raised so the teeth will clear rocks and stumps and the teeth are prone to breaking when they strike such objects.
To try to overcome these problems, attempts have been made to provide spring-loaded teeth which are pivotally mounted so they will gave way when stones, stumps or other such objects are encountered.
The hope was that the teeth would deflect when a heavy or stationary object is encountered and then spring back to the normal position after the object is cleared. ~he general principle is somewhat sim-ilar to the ridg~ leveler blade shown in United States Patent #1,744,801 to Rimple which is so con-structed that it gives ~hen a rigid obstruction isencountered. Similarly, United States Patent #1,511,292 to McLeod discloses a stone rake with yieldable spring biased teeth. United States Patent #1,929,799 to Weeks and United States Patent #1,876,867 to Dean also disclose scrapers with yieldable blades.
1 ~ 3~i8Sl
-2 As applied to piling rakes suita~le for clearing land in ti~ber operations, it has been found that spring-biased blades provide distinct disadvan-tages. Firstly, extremely heavy springs are required to provide the necessary resistance so that the teeth will have the necessary pushing force and will yield only when they encounter large rocks, stumps and simi-l~r things. Such heav~v spxings require strong and heavy mounts, c~mplicatin~ the design, and are prone to breaking. Additionally, an extreme hazard is created when the resiliently biased teeth snap back to their orlginal position after the object is cleared. They are liable to strike some object, such as a small stone,and propel it a considerable distance. The dan-ger to persons working in the area is apparent andmeans that such a device would likely fail to receive approval from authorities concerned with the safety of workers.
Other prior art include United States Patent #2,912,774 to McCrary which discloses retractable r~pPer teeth ~or a bulldozer blade, United States Patent #2,932,100 to Goethe which shows a conventional brush raking arrangement for~tractors and United 25 States Patent ~2,985,973 to Struemph which discloses a self-cleaning timber rake with a movable cleaning b~r.
SUMMU~RY OF THE l~VE~TION
According to the invention, a rake for use with tractors comprises mounting means connectable to the tractor, the mounting means ha~ing a ~ottom, and a pluralit~ of teeth extending from the bottom of the 113~
mounting means. There is pivotal means for pivotally connecting each of the teeth to the mounting means and permitting independent pivotal movement of said each tooth away from objects encountered by said each tooth when the tractor moves. Each of a plurality of fluid piston and cylinder combinations interconnect one of the teeth with the mounting means so the pivotal move-ment of the teeth displaces pressurized fluid within the piston and cylinder combinations. The pressurized fluid reverses the pivotal movement when the teeth clear said objects.
Preferrably, the rake further comprises means for controlling the rate of the reverse pivotal movement.
The rake may further comprise a fluid accum-mulator and fluid conduits connecting the accummulator to each of the piston and cylinder combinations, the accummulator receiving pressurized fluid displaced from the piston and cylinder combinations when the teeth are pivotally moved by the objects. In this case, for example, the means for controlling may com-prise a flow control valve along the fluid conduits between the accummulator and the piston and cylinder combinations to restrict a return flow of fluid from the accummulator to the piston and cylinder combina-tions when the teeth clear the objects.
There may be adjustable means connecting the piston and cylinder combinations to the teeth.
Each of the adjustable means is connectable to one of the teeth in a plurality of positions along the one tooth to vary the displacement of the piston relative to the cylinder of the piston and cylinder ~i3~51 combination connected to the one tooth~ thereby varying the pressure of fluid to regulate the Porce required to cause the pivotal movement o~ the one tooth.
The invention offers significant advantages when compared to piling rakes having spring-hiased pivotal teeth and the prior art devices discussed above. For example, there is no need to provide springs which are subject to breaking, nor the heavy mounting required for such springs. The force re-quired to deflect the teeth is regulated by the fluid pressure and can be adjusted by changing the position where a cylinder is connected to a tooth. The hazard created when spring-loaded teeth snap back into posi-tion is completely avoided since it is easy to pro-vide a flow control valve to govern the speed with which the teeth return to their original position after being deflected by an object. It should also be noted that there are no additional controls for the operator of the tractor. The operator is conse-quently free to concentrate on the task of clearing the land and the teeth are automatically deflected when they encounter objects having a certain resis-tance and then return to their original position after clearing the objects.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWI~GS
0 Figure 1 is a side elevational view ~howin~ a piling rake according to an embodiment of the in-vention connected to a tractor which is shown in chain lines;
Figure 2 is a front elevational view of the piling rake and tractor;
Figure 3 is a rear elevational view of the piling rake;
Figure 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken along Line 4-4 of Figure 3; and 0 Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view of a portion of the back of the piling rake showing one tooth and related cylinder with a portion of the piston rod broken away.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to Figures 1 to 5, a piling rake 1 is shown connected to the front of a tractor 2.
The particular kind of tractor illustrated is used in logging operations and is called a skidder. The rake 1 has a mounting means or blade 4 which is con-nectable to a pair of hinged, spaced-apart arms 6, one of which is shown in Figure 1, which extend from the front of the tractor, In the common manner, hydrau-lic cylinders, the piston rod 8 of one of them being visible in Figure 1, are used to raise or lo~er the arms 6 and co~sequ~ntly the rake 1.
The blade is constructed of steel plate and is generally conventional, having a top 10, a bottom 12, a front side 14, ~hlch is slightly concave from top to bottom, and a back side 16. The front and backsides are substantially vertical when the rake is connected to the tractor as seen in Figure 1. A
plurality of vertical ribs 18 extend vertically alona the back side of the blade and are arranged in spaced-apart pairs of ribs as seen best in Figure 3 and Fig-ure 5, A plurality of tines or teeth 20, five teeth in the case of the preferred embodiment, extend from the bottom of the blade. Each of the teeth is pi-votally connected to the blade by pivotal means com-prising a shaft 22 extending through the top of eachtooth and a pair of journals 24 mounted on each pair of ribs 18 and receiving one of the shafts 22. The shaftsand journals permit independent pivotal movement of each of the teeth 20 from the normal downwardly extending position,shown in full lines in Figure 1l to the rearwardly extending position shown in broken lines in Figure 1. This movement is desirable when a tooth encounters an object, such as a large stone or stump, which would impede the raking operation or possibl,v break the tooth.
A plurality of fluid piston and cylinder combinations 26, one for each of the teeth 20, inter-connect the teeth with the mounting means in a man-ner so that the pivo~al movement of the teeth displacesfluid within the piston and cylinder combinations. The pressure of fluid within the piston and cylinder com-binations predetermines the force required to deflect the teeth 20 and the pressurized fluid tends to reverse the pivotal movement when a tooth clears the object which caused the tooth to pivot.
113f~
Referring to Figures 4 and S, each of the piston and cylinder combinations is mounted on the back side 16 of the blade between a pair of the ribs 18 together with one of the teeth 20. The combina-tion consists of a fluid cylinder 28 and a piston rod30 which is connected to an internal piston. A
clevis 32 at a first or bottom end of each piston and cylinder combination serves as a first pivotal connec-tion to connect the combination to a lug 34 which is connected to one of the teeth 200 Another clevis 36 at a second or top end of the combination serves as a pivotal connection with the blade 4 near the top thereof. The clevis 36 is on the cylinder 28, while the clevis 34 is on the piston rod 30.
Each of the lugs 34 referred to above has at least one aperture for receiving a nut and bolt combination 37, three apertures and three sets of nuts and bolts being illustra$ed in Figure 4. Each of the blades has a plurality of apertures 38 for receiving the bolts, the embodiment shown in Figure 4 having five such apertures 38. It is therefore clear that this method of connecting the lugs 34 to the teeth 20, including having a greater number of apertures in the ~lades than in the lugs, allows the lugs to be connected to the teeth in a plurality of positions along the teeth. This provides adjustable means connecting the piston and cylinder combina$ions to the teeth, This ~djust~ble connection means th~tthe displace~ent of the Pi~ton in the plst4n and cylinde~
combination 26 can be varàed relative to the cylinder for each of the teeth 20 in the normal do~nwardly extending position illustrated in Figure 4. Changing the displacement of the piston relative to the cyl-inder accordingly varies the pressure of fluid within 113685~
the cylinder and sets the amount of force required to cause the tooth to move rearwardly to the position shown in broken lines in Figure 1. This is desirable because it allows the operator to determine which objects will be pushed by the teeth and which will be left behind.
When the rake is used to clear swampy ground, for example, the force required to deflect the teeth 20 would be set relatively low in order to leave stumps behind because stumps are easily pulled out of swampy ground as opposed ~o harder soil. In swampy ground, therefore, each of the lugs 34 would be moved downwardly from the normal position shown in Figure 4 and this would increase the displacement within the cylinders 28 and decrease the fluid pressure. The force would ob-viously be increased by moving the lugs upwards andincreasing the fluid pressure.
The fluid piston and cylinder combinations 26 illustrated in Figures 1 and 3 to 5 are connected to a hydraulic system illustrated in Figure 6. The piston and cylinder combinations are connected to an accummulator 40 in parallel by hydraulic lines or conduits 42. Accummulators are commonly used in hy-draulic systems and essentially comprise a gas-filled bag within a rigid canister. Hydraulic fluid dis-placed into the accummulator between the canister and the gas bag causes the gas to compress, A flow control valve 44 is connected along the hydraulic lines between the accummulator and the hydraulic cyl-inders. Valve 44 restricts a return flow of fluidfrom the accummulator to the piston and cylinder com-binations 26, but does not intexfere with the flow of fluid from the cylinders to the accummulator. A
coupler 46 is connected to the hydraulic lines for 1136i~
charging the circuit wlth pressurized hydraulic fluid from a hydraulic system of the tractor 2, Once the accumulator, the piston and cylinder combinations, the con-duit and the flow control valve are charged, they form a closed hydraulic system.
In operation, the hydraulic system o~ the rake illustrated in Figure 6 is first charged through the coupler 46 with hydraulic fluid from the tractor hydraulic system. The pressure at which the system is charged is one way of adjusting the force required to deflect the teeth 20. The operator can set the pressure according to conditions and experience.
Additionally, as mentioned above, movement of the lugs 34 along the teeth 20 is a second way of adjus-ting the force required to deflect the teeth. Afterthese inltial adjustments have been made, there are no controls which the operator is required to use during the raking operation and this is an important ad~antage of the invention.
The rake 4 is moved into the raking posi-tion shown in Figure 1 by the arms 6 using the stan-dard controls of the tractor. The tractor is then moved forwardly to begin the raking operation. The slash or other material is pushed forwardly and the teeth remain in the position shown in Figure 1 in solid lines unless they e~counter a fairly heavy or ova~le Qbject ~uch as ~ l~r~e r~ck or a stump, Con-tinued forward motion of the tractor causes the teeth encountering the object to be pivotally moved rear-wardly towards the position shown in broken lines in Figure 1.
The pivotal movement o~ one or more of the teeth causes the piston rod and plston of the piston ~, ~.--_, 113~8~1 --10.`
and cylinder combination associated ~ith each of the pivotted teeth to move upw~rdly within its cylin~er.
This displaces the hydraulic fluid within the piston and cylinder combination and forces the fluid through the hydraulic lines 42 and flow control valve 44 into the accummulator 40. As mentioned above, valve 44 does not impede the flow in this direction.
The pressurized fluid displaced into the accummulator from one or more cylinders tends to flow back towards the cylinders and reverse the pivotal movement of the teeth as soon as each tooth is clear of the object which caused the pivotal movement.
However, flow control valve 44 restricts the flow of fluid from the accummulator back to the cylinders and thereby c~rprises a means for controlling the rate of the reverse pivotal movement. This is extremely ad-vantageous because, if the teeth were free to snap back immediately after the object is cleared, this would cause considerable stress on the shafts 22 and journals 24, requiring more rugged construction in order to avoid possible failure, could cause the teeth to break if they should strike another object when snapping back, or could throw a small rock or other object forwardly and create a hazard for per-sons in the area. However, valve 44 controls the re-turn flow of fluid and allows the teeth to return to the downwardly extending position at a controlled rate.
~: , . .
'.': :
113~5~
In a preferred e~bodiment of the invention shown only in Figure 1, one or more wheels 50 are ro-tatably mounted on struts 52 connected to the back side of the blade 4~ As seen in Figure 1, bottom 54 of the wheel is generally even with bottom ends 56 of teeth 20. Wheel 54 provides depth control for the teeth 20, assuring that they stay close to the sur-face of the ground, without digging in.
Other prior art include United States Patent #2,912,774 to McCrary which discloses retractable r~pPer teeth ~or a bulldozer blade, United States Patent #2,932,100 to Goethe which shows a conventional brush raking arrangement for~tractors and United 25 States Patent ~2,985,973 to Struemph which discloses a self-cleaning timber rake with a movable cleaning b~r.
SUMMU~RY OF THE l~VE~TION
According to the invention, a rake for use with tractors comprises mounting means connectable to the tractor, the mounting means ha~ing a ~ottom, and a pluralit~ of teeth extending from the bottom of the 113~
mounting means. There is pivotal means for pivotally connecting each of the teeth to the mounting means and permitting independent pivotal movement of said each tooth away from objects encountered by said each tooth when the tractor moves. Each of a plurality of fluid piston and cylinder combinations interconnect one of the teeth with the mounting means so the pivotal move-ment of the teeth displaces pressurized fluid within the piston and cylinder combinations. The pressurized fluid reverses the pivotal movement when the teeth clear said objects.
Preferrably, the rake further comprises means for controlling the rate of the reverse pivotal movement.
The rake may further comprise a fluid accum-mulator and fluid conduits connecting the accummulator to each of the piston and cylinder combinations, the accummulator receiving pressurized fluid displaced from the piston and cylinder combinations when the teeth are pivotally moved by the objects. In this case, for example, the means for controlling may com-prise a flow control valve along the fluid conduits between the accummulator and the piston and cylinder combinations to restrict a return flow of fluid from the accummulator to the piston and cylinder combina-tions when the teeth clear the objects.
There may be adjustable means connecting the piston and cylinder combinations to the teeth.
Each of the adjustable means is connectable to one of the teeth in a plurality of positions along the one tooth to vary the displacement of the piston relative to the cylinder of the piston and cylinder ~i3~51 combination connected to the one tooth~ thereby varying the pressure of fluid to regulate the Porce required to cause the pivotal movement o~ the one tooth.
The invention offers significant advantages when compared to piling rakes having spring-hiased pivotal teeth and the prior art devices discussed above. For example, there is no need to provide springs which are subject to breaking, nor the heavy mounting required for such springs. The force re-quired to deflect the teeth is regulated by the fluid pressure and can be adjusted by changing the position where a cylinder is connected to a tooth. The hazard created when spring-loaded teeth snap back into posi-tion is completely avoided since it is easy to pro-vide a flow control valve to govern the speed with which the teeth return to their original position after being deflected by an object. It should also be noted that there are no additional controls for the operator of the tractor. The operator is conse-quently free to concentrate on the task of clearing the land and the teeth are automatically deflected when they encounter objects having a certain resis-tance and then return to their original position after clearing the objects.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWI~GS
0 Figure 1 is a side elevational view ~howin~ a piling rake according to an embodiment of the in-vention connected to a tractor which is shown in chain lines;
Figure 2 is a front elevational view of the piling rake and tractor;
Figure 3 is a rear elevational view of the piling rake;
Figure 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken along Line 4-4 of Figure 3; and 0 Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view of a portion of the back of the piling rake showing one tooth and related cylinder with a portion of the piston rod broken away.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to Figures 1 to 5, a piling rake 1 is shown connected to the front of a tractor 2.
The particular kind of tractor illustrated is used in logging operations and is called a skidder. The rake 1 has a mounting means or blade 4 which is con-nectable to a pair of hinged, spaced-apart arms 6, one of which is shown in Figure 1, which extend from the front of the tractor, In the common manner, hydrau-lic cylinders, the piston rod 8 of one of them being visible in Figure 1, are used to raise or lo~er the arms 6 and co~sequ~ntly the rake 1.
The blade is constructed of steel plate and is generally conventional, having a top 10, a bottom 12, a front side 14, ~hlch is slightly concave from top to bottom, and a back side 16. The front and backsides are substantially vertical when the rake is connected to the tractor as seen in Figure 1. A
plurality of vertical ribs 18 extend vertically alona the back side of the blade and are arranged in spaced-apart pairs of ribs as seen best in Figure 3 and Fig-ure 5, A plurality of tines or teeth 20, five teeth in the case of the preferred embodiment, extend from the bottom of the blade. Each of the teeth is pi-votally connected to the blade by pivotal means com-prising a shaft 22 extending through the top of eachtooth and a pair of journals 24 mounted on each pair of ribs 18 and receiving one of the shafts 22. The shaftsand journals permit independent pivotal movement of each of the teeth 20 from the normal downwardly extending position,shown in full lines in Figure 1l to the rearwardly extending position shown in broken lines in Figure 1. This movement is desirable when a tooth encounters an object, such as a large stone or stump, which would impede the raking operation or possibl,v break the tooth.
A plurality of fluid piston and cylinder combinations 26, one for each of the teeth 20, inter-connect the teeth with the mounting means in a man-ner so that the pivo~al movement of the teeth displacesfluid within the piston and cylinder combinations. The pressure of fluid within the piston and cylinder com-binations predetermines the force required to deflect the teeth 20 and the pressurized fluid tends to reverse the pivotal movement when a tooth clears the object which caused the tooth to pivot.
113f~
Referring to Figures 4 and S, each of the piston and cylinder combinations is mounted on the back side 16 of the blade between a pair of the ribs 18 together with one of the teeth 20. The combina-tion consists of a fluid cylinder 28 and a piston rod30 which is connected to an internal piston. A
clevis 32 at a first or bottom end of each piston and cylinder combination serves as a first pivotal connec-tion to connect the combination to a lug 34 which is connected to one of the teeth 200 Another clevis 36 at a second or top end of the combination serves as a pivotal connection with the blade 4 near the top thereof. The clevis 36 is on the cylinder 28, while the clevis 34 is on the piston rod 30.
Each of the lugs 34 referred to above has at least one aperture for receiving a nut and bolt combination 37, three apertures and three sets of nuts and bolts being illustra$ed in Figure 4. Each of the blades has a plurality of apertures 38 for receiving the bolts, the embodiment shown in Figure 4 having five such apertures 38. It is therefore clear that this method of connecting the lugs 34 to the teeth 20, including having a greater number of apertures in the ~lades than in the lugs, allows the lugs to be connected to the teeth in a plurality of positions along the teeth. This provides adjustable means connecting the piston and cylinder combina$ions to the teeth, This ~djust~ble connection means th~tthe displace~ent of the Pi~ton in the plst4n and cylinde~
combination 26 can be varàed relative to the cylinder for each of the teeth 20 in the normal do~nwardly extending position illustrated in Figure 4. Changing the displacement of the piston relative to the cyl-inder accordingly varies the pressure of fluid within 113685~
the cylinder and sets the amount of force required to cause the tooth to move rearwardly to the position shown in broken lines in Figure 1. This is desirable because it allows the operator to determine which objects will be pushed by the teeth and which will be left behind.
When the rake is used to clear swampy ground, for example, the force required to deflect the teeth 20 would be set relatively low in order to leave stumps behind because stumps are easily pulled out of swampy ground as opposed ~o harder soil. In swampy ground, therefore, each of the lugs 34 would be moved downwardly from the normal position shown in Figure 4 and this would increase the displacement within the cylinders 28 and decrease the fluid pressure. The force would ob-viously be increased by moving the lugs upwards andincreasing the fluid pressure.
The fluid piston and cylinder combinations 26 illustrated in Figures 1 and 3 to 5 are connected to a hydraulic system illustrated in Figure 6. The piston and cylinder combinations are connected to an accummulator 40 in parallel by hydraulic lines or conduits 42. Accummulators are commonly used in hy-draulic systems and essentially comprise a gas-filled bag within a rigid canister. Hydraulic fluid dis-placed into the accummulator between the canister and the gas bag causes the gas to compress, A flow control valve 44 is connected along the hydraulic lines between the accummulator and the hydraulic cyl-inders. Valve 44 restricts a return flow of fluidfrom the accummulator to the piston and cylinder com-binations 26, but does not intexfere with the flow of fluid from the cylinders to the accummulator. A
coupler 46 is connected to the hydraulic lines for 1136i~
charging the circuit wlth pressurized hydraulic fluid from a hydraulic system of the tractor 2, Once the accumulator, the piston and cylinder combinations, the con-duit and the flow control valve are charged, they form a closed hydraulic system.
In operation, the hydraulic system o~ the rake illustrated in Figure 6 is first charged through the coupler 46 with hydraulic fluid from the tractor hydraulic system. The pressure at which the system is charged is one way of adjusting the force required to deflect the teeth 20. The operator can set the pressure according to conditions and experience.
Additionally, as mentioned above, movement of the lugs 34 along the teeth 20 is a second way of adjus-ting the force required to deflect the teeth. Afterthese inltial adjustments have been made, there are no controls which the operator is required to use during the raking operation and this is an important ad~antage of the invention.
The rake 4 is moved into the raking posi-tion shown in Figure 1 by the arms 6 using the stan-dard controls of the tractor. The tractor is then moved forwardly to begin the raking operation. The slash or other material is pushed forwardly and the teeth remain in the position shown in Figure 1 in solid lines unless they e~counter a fairly heavy or ova~le Qbject ~uch as ~ l~r~e r~ck or a stump, Con-tinued forward motion of the tractor causes the teeth encountering the object to be pivotally moved rear-wardly towards the position shown in broken lines in Figure 1.
The pivotal movement o~ one or more of the teeth causes the piston rod and plston of the piston ~, ~.--_, 113~8~1 --10.`
and cylinder combination associated ~ith each of the pivotted teeth to move upw~rdly within its cylin~er.
This displaces the hydraulic fluid within the piston and cylinder combination and forces the fluid through the hydraulic lines 42 and flow control valve 44 into the accummulator 40. As mentioned above, valve 44 does not impede the flow in this direction.
The pressurized fluid displaced into the accummulator from one or more cylinders tends to flow back towards the cylinders and reverse the pivotal movement of the teeth as soon as each tooth is clear of the object which caused the pivotal movement.
However, flow control valve 44 restricts the flow of fluid from the accummulator back to the cylinders and thereby c~rprises a means for controlling the rate of the reverse pivotal movement. This is extremely ad-vantageous because, if the teeth were free to snap back immediately after the object is cleared, this would cause considerable stress on the shafts 22 and journals 24, requiring more rugged construction in order to avoid possible failure, could cause the teeth to break if they should strike another object when snapping back, or could throw a small rock or other object forwardly and create a hazard for per-sons in the area. However, valve 44 controls the re-turn flow of fluid and allows the teeth to return to the downwardly extending position at a controlled rate.
~: , . .
'.': :
113~5~
In a preferred e~bodiment of the invention shown only in Figure 1, one or more wheels 50 are ro-tatably mounted on struts 52 connected to the back side of the blade 4~ As seen in Figure 1, bottom 54 of the wheel is generally even with bottom ends 56 of teeth 20. Wheel 54 provides depth control for the teeth 20, assuring that they stay close to the sur-face of the ground, without digging in.
Claims (11)
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. A rake for use with tractors, comprising:
a blade connectable to a tractor and having a bottom and front and back sides which are substantially vertical when the blade is connected to the tractor;
a plurality of teeth extending from the bottom of the blade;
pivotal means pivotally connecting each of the teeth to the blade and permitting independent pivotal movement of said each tooth away from objects encountered by said each tooth when the tractor moves;
a plurality of fluid piston and cylinder combinations, each said combination interconnecting one of the teeth with the blade so the pivotal movement of the teeth displaces pres-surized fluid within the piston and cylinder combinations, the pressurized fluid reversing the pivotal movement when the teeth clear said objects, a fluid accumulator and fluid conduits connecting the accumulator to each of the piston and cylinder combinations, the accumulator receiving pressurized fluid displaced from the piston and cylinder combinations when the teeth are pivotally moved by the objects;
means for controlling the rate of the reverse pivotal move-ment comprising a flow control valve along the fluid conduits between the accumulator and the piston and cylinder combinations to restrict a return flow of fluid from the accumulator to the piston and cylinder combinations when the teeth clear the objects; and (13) the accumulator, the piston and cylinder combinations, the conduits and the flow control valve comprising a closed hydraulic system after being charged with pressurized hydraulic fluid.
a blade connectable to a tractor and having a bottom and front and back sides which are substantially vertical when the blade is connected to the tractor;
a plurality of teeth extending from the bottom of the blade;
pivotal means pivotally connecting each of the teeth to the blade and permitting independent pivotal movement of said each tooth away from objects encountered by said each tooth when the tractor moves;
a plurality of fluid piston and cylinder combinations, each said combination interconnecting one of the teeth with the blade so the pivotal movement of the teeth displaces pres-surized fluid within the piston and cylinder combinations, the pressurized fluid reversing the pivotal movement when the teeth clear said objects, a fluid accumulator and fluid conduits connecting the accumulator to each of the piston and cylinder combinations, the accumulator receiving pressurized fluid displaced from the piston and cylinder combinations when the teeth are pivotally moved by the objects;
means for controlling the rate of the reverse pivotal move-ment comprising a flow control valve along the fluid conduits between the accumulator and the piston and cylinder combinations to restrict a return flow of fluid from the accumulator to the piston and cylinder combinations when the teeth clear the objects; and (13) the accumulator, the piston and cylinder combinations, the conduits and the flow control valve comprising a closed hydraulic system after being charged with pressurized hydraulic fluid.
2. A rake as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the hydraulic circuit has a coupler for charging the circuit with pres-surized hydraulic fluid from a hydraulic system of the tractor.
3. A rake as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the piston and cylinder combinations are mounted on the back side of the blade.
4. A rake as claimed in Claim 1, further comprising adjustable means connecting the piston and cylinder combinations to the teeth, each of the adjustable means being connectable to one of the teeth in a plurality of positions along the one tooth to vary the displacement of the piston relative to the cyl-inder of the combination connected to the one tooth, thereby varying the pressure of fluid to set the amount force required to cause the pivotal movement of the one tooth.
5. A rake as claimed in Claim 4, wherein the adjustable means comprises lugs on the teeth and a pivotal connection between each of the lugs and one of the piston and cylinder combinations.
6. A rake as claimed in Claim 5, wherein the adjustable means comprises an aperture in each said lug for receiving a fast-ener and a plurality of apertures in each said tooth for receiving one of the fasteners.
7. A rake as claimed in Claim 5, wherein each of the piston and cylinder combinations has first and second ends, the (14) pivotal connections between the lugs and the piston and cylinder combinations being near the first ends of the combinations, a second pivotal connection near the second end of said each of the combinations connecting said each combination to the mounting means, one of the pivotal connections of each of the combinations being on a piston rod connected to the piston and another of the pivotal connections being on the cylinder.
8. A rake as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the teeth have bottom ends distal the blade, the rake further comprising a wheel rotatably mounted to the back side of the blade so the bottom of the wheel is generally even with the bottom ends of the teeth.
9. A rake as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the teeth are spaced-apart in a row along the bottom of the blade.
10. A rake as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the pivotal means for each of the teeth comprises a shaft and journal combination.
11. A rake as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the piston and cylinder combinations are connected to the accummulator by the fluid conduits in parallel with each other.
Priority Applications (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000361482A CA1136851A (en) | 1980-09-29 | 1980-09-29 | Piling rake |
| US06/199,336 US4364191A (en) | 1980-09-29 | 1980-10-21 | Piling rake |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000361482A CA1136851A (en) | 1980-09-29 | 1980-09-29 | Piling rake |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1136851A true CA1136851A (en) | 1982-12-07 |
Family
ID=4118044
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000361482A Expired CA1136851A (en) | 1980-09-29 | 1980-09-29 | Piling rake |
Country Status (2)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| US (1) | US4364191A (en) |
| CA (1) | CA1136851A (en) |
Families Citing this family (14)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US4614476A (en) * | 1982-10-11 | 1986-09-30 | Santal Euipamentos S.A. Comercio E Industria | Mechanical sugar cane grab loader |
| US4648466A (en) * | 1984-06-13 | 1987-03-10 | Baker Christopher J | Furrow opener operating apparatus |
| US5079864A (en) * | 1990-08-21 | 1992-01-14 | James Roy | Brush rake |
| AUPO980697A0 (en) * | 1997-10-16 | 1997-11-06 | Heckendorf, David W | High speed grader |
| US5954139A (en) * | 1998-06-26 | 1999-09-21 | Forsyth; Daniel L. | Tillage knife with hydraulic reset apparatus |
| US6615929B2 (en) | 1998-10-16 | 2003-09-09 | Savannah Smooth Roads, Llc | Method and apparatus for high speed grading |
| US6763618B1 (en) * | 2003-03-11 | 2004-07-20 | Daniel Edward Moran | Combination rake and grubber implement |
| US6892482B2 (en) * | 2003-03-31 | 2005-05-17 | Woodward D. Harding | Combination plow and claw assembly |
| US20060249293A1 (en) * | 2005-05-03 | 2006-11-09 | Christian Frank S | Front-end loader finish grading apparatus |
| CA2635321C (en) * | 2007-06-19 | 2015-05-12 | Doug Smoljo | Earthworking implement |
| US9015967B2 (en) | 2011-12-21 | 2015-04-28 | Caterpillar Inc. | Adjustable blade rake |
| USD742425S1 (en) | 2011-12-21 | 2015-11-03 | Caterpillar Inc. | Blade rake tine |
| ITUB201544955U1 (en) * | 2015-06-19 | 2016-12-19 | Cangini Benne Srl | DAMPING DEVICE |
| RU172746U1 (en) * | 2017-04-10 | 2017-07-21 | федеральное государственное бюджетное образовательное учреждение высшего образования "Брянский государственный инженерно-технологический университет" | WORKING EQUIPMENT OF THE BULDOSER |
Family Cites Families (7)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US1898312A (en) * | 1932-02-08 | 1933-02-21 | John R Ritchie | Tractor scraper |
| US2770056A (en) * | 1955-08-09 | 1956-11-13 | Elmer W Hawkins | Brush rake attachment for a tractor |
| US3042122A (en) * | 1958-09-22 | 1962-07-03 | Peter B Anderson | Air and oil pressure recoil mechanism for plows |
| CH473818A (en) * | 1964-03-18 | 1969-06-15 | Ciba Geigy | Process for the preparation of new hydroxyphenyl-1,3,5-triazines and their use |
| US3349855A (en) * | 1965-05-18 | 1967-10-31 | Glenn C Knudson | Hydraulic plow bottom trip device |
| US3480086A (en) * | 1967-02-17 | 1969-11-25 | Portable Elevator Mfg Co | Adjustable shank assembly |
| US3561541A (en) * | 1967-09-21 | 1971-02-09 | Roger W Woelfel | Tractor and implement hydraulic control system |
-
1980
- 1980-09-29 CA CA000361482A patent/CA1136851A/en not_active Expired
- 1980-10-21 US US06/199,336 patent/US4364191A/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| US4364191A (en) | 1982-12-21 |
Similar Documents
| Publication | Publication Date | Title |
|---|---|---|
| CA1136851A (en) | Piling rake | |
| US5515625A (en) | Rake attachment with scarifying teeth for a skid steer | |
| CA1064254A (en) | Tractor mounted scraper blade | |
| US4802293A (en) | Adjustable earth-moving attachment for a vehicle | |
| US6223828B1 (en) | Landscape rake with fluid controlled float capability | |
| US5413181A (en) | Rake attachment for a skid steer | |
| US7913431B1 (en) | Ground clearing apparatus | |
| US5511625A (en) | Soil leveling apparatus with improved frame and hitch | |
| US1977817A (en) | Trail builder | |
| US4938114A (en) | Mine clearing apparatus | |
| EP3400338A1 (en) | Construction machine with an upper structure and a lower structure | |
| US3924689A (en) | Hydraulically controlled grader-leveler adapted for trailing by tractors | |
| US5771980A (en) | Soil leveling apparatus with improved frame and hitch | |
| US4986010A (en) | Sloper apparatus | |
| US4478289A (en) | Side mounted soil ripping mechanism | |
| US2866281A (en) | Land leveler | |
| US8371203B2 (en) | Mine and explosive clearing machine and implement | |
| US20060289180A1 (en) | Attachment for utility tractors and skid steer vehicles | |
| US5046311A (en) | Hydraulic control system | |
| US2564034A (en) | Tractor ditchdigger | |
| DE4213523B4 (en) | Mobile milling loader, in particular ground milling device | |
| EP0153332B1 (en) | Method and device for the vibratory operation of a working piston, particularly for working tools | |
| US4730678A (en) | Heavy-duty trip mechanism for ground working implements | |
| EP0623707B1 (en) | Levelling apparatus for attaching to an attachment frame on the front of a selfpropelled vehicle | |
| US4529041A (en) | Soil scraper and leveler |
Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| MKEX | Expiry |